With Fringe’s third season beginning on 23 September in the United States, we felt compelled to remind you why the series’ alternate universe – which will be featured bi-weekly in the first half of the season – is such an interesting contrast to our own:

1. I’m seeing double!

There’s something extremely fun about the fact that several of the characters have doubles, most notably B-Olivia and Walternate, while Charlie lingers on in the alternative universe. Mainly, though, I just enjoyed this daft – but, undeniably cool – showdown between our Olivia Dunham and her sassier, fringe-bearing alternate:

JFK is still alive? Nixon’s head is on coins? The White House was destroyed, but the World Trade Center still stands? Every time a single one of these details was mentioned in the latter half of Fringe’s second season, I couldn’t help but get a little more invested in the story. Hopefully, the producers will have more of these ideas in store for us when the third season begins.

3. Movie titles

Don’t know about the rest of you, but I kind of want to see Superman Vs Batman and Indiana Jones And The Hex Of The Hydra, both of which are currently in theatres in the Fringe universe. This altogether neat touch is exactly why Fringe’s alternate universe is so cool – it works on multiple levels, from characterisation to the pop culture references.

4. The New York skyline

Zeppelins over New York in 2010? Love it. Fringe’s art direction went crazy in the second season, painting a picture of what an alternate universe should look like – close-to-home, but creatively inspired. I can’t wait to get a further glance at it over the course of the third year.

5. Fringe division is an army

Vans? They have Fringe vans? Broyles has a control room? Bloody hell! Fringe seems to have far more backing from the government on the other side, due to the fact that the entire world is falling apart over there (a result of Walter Bishop’s amoral dabbling with the universe). As a result, the division probably has its own stationery, and they’re obviously well known by the public.